Most frequently asked question
What is the cost of living in Portugal?
Everyone considers the cost of living before moving to Portugal. I see this question asked many times on expat pages on Facebook and I will give you the true, right answer: it depends on your lifestyle. It depends on your lifestyle, because I don’t know if you will be drinking champagne and eating oysters or bake your own bread and raise your own chickens in Portugal. Your utility costs depend on how much time you spend in the house, shower, and on the computer. How often do you use your telephone, Internet, TV? Health care costs depends on what kind of care you need and will need, monthly rent of a house or apartment depends on the location. In general, the costs of living in central Portugal are lower than in the UK and the Netherlands. Also, most of us move to Portugal to live a different life, where we don’t need to go along with that rat race, but to be close to nature, back to basic. And central Portugal is the place to be. Please feel free to share your monthly expenses to help others getting an idea of what to expect.
Groceries with Home Key Portugal
In order not to leave you empty handed, I composed a shopping list with prices of common groceries. These are the prices of the super markets Lidl and Jumbo in Castelo Branco. If there is no brand mentioned, it is the price of the cheapest option. You have very good wine starting already at € 1,49 – € 1,99 per bottle. The price of Sagres beer given is with 50% off, because there is always a super market that has the beer in promotion so you never have to pay the ‘full’ price if you are shopping smart! Lidl also has their own brand of beer: Argus, which is really cheap as chips!
Product |
Price each |
Super market |
Breakfast / Lunch |
||
French bread (210 gr.) | €0,39 | Lidl |
Small bread (90 gr.) | €0,17 | Lidl |
Delta filter coffee regular (250 gr.) | €2,39 | Jumbo |
Nescafé Instant coffee (200 gr.) | €6,29 | Lidl |
Lipton Tea (20 pyramid bags) | €1,59 | Lidl |
Cheese slices of Gouda (150 gr.) | €0,89 | Jumbo |
Philiadelphia cheese spread (200 gr.) | €1,92 | Jumbo |
Ham slices (200 gr.) | €0,79 | Jumbo |
Butter spread (250 gr) | €0,89 | Jumbo |
Milk (1 Liter) | €0,45 | Jumbo |
Kellogs Cornflakes (300 gr.) | €1,54 | Jumbo |
Eggs Large (1 dozen) | €1,75 | Jumbo |
Candy |
||
Yellow M&M’s with peanuts (250 gr.) | €3,49 | Lidl |
Maria Tea Biscuits (4×200 gr.) | €0,99 | Lidl |
Fruit & Vegetables | ||
Tomatoes (1 KG) | €0,99 | Jumbo |
Cherry Tomatoes (300 gr.) | €1,19 | Lidl |
Apples Royal Gala (1 KG) | €1,49 | Jumbo |
Pineapple (1 KG) | €0,99 | Jumbo |
Mango (1 KG) | €1,59 | Jumbo |
Potatoes (1 KG) | €0,99 | Jumbo |
Onions (1 KG) | €0,50 | Jumbo |
Bananas Import Costa Rica (1 KG) | €0,79 | Jumbo |
Lettuce (1 KG) | €0,99 | Lidl |
Dinner |
||
Chicken filet (1 KG) | €5,75 | Jumbo |
Chicken (entire per Kilo) | €1,59 | Jumbo |
Minced meat (400 gr.) | €3,45 | Jumbo |
Pork chops (1 KG) | €3,85 | Jumbo |
Beef (sirloin steak 1 KG) | €7,85 | Jumbo |
Fish – Trout Filet (1 KG) | €4,49 | Jumbo |
Deep fry pizza Dr. Oetker | €3,67 | Jumbo |
Vanilla ice cream Carte D’or (1 L) | €2,39 | Jumbo |
Drinks & Spirits |
||
Beer Sagres 24 x 33 CL | €12,99 | Jumbo |
Wine red (0,75L) | €1,49 | Jumbo |
Smirnoff Vodka (0,70L) | €9,99 | Jumbo |
Johnny Walker Red Label (0,70L) | €13,99 | Jumbo |
Bacardi Rum (0,70L) | €13,49 | Jumbo |
Coca cola plastic bottle (1L) | €1,25 | Jumbo |
General |
||
CIF All purpose cleaner (1,9L) | €2,89 | Jumbo |
Toilet paper 2-ply – 12 rolls | €1,99 | Jumbo |
Kitchen Paper 4 rolls | €0,79 | Jumbo |
Colgate Toothbrush ZigZag 2+1 free | €3,89 | Jumbo |
Colgate Original Toothpaste (75 ml) | €2,89 | Jumbo |
Sugar (1 KG) | €0,75 | Jumbo |